Camila lounged on the sofa like a queen basking in admiration, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
"Oh, come on, you all are acting like I’m made of glass just because I’m pregnant. Don’t you think they’re overreacting?"
Before I could respond, Camilla suddenly put on a look of mock regret.
"Oh, I forgot—you can’t have children. You’re not jealous of all the attention I’m getting as the little pregnant one, are you?"
Seeing my expression darken, my parents quickly stepped in, eager to smooth things over.
"Of course not! Samita has always been kind—she loves you just as much as we do."
Camila narrowed her eyes slightly, then turned to Tomas. "What about you, Tommy? Do you love me too?"
Tomas stiffened, clearly caught off guard, his hesitant gaze flickering toward me.
Looking at the people in front of me, all wearing their masks of false affection, I felt nothing but coldness in my heart.
"Of course. Your Tomas sees you as family too, so of course he loves you."
Without another word, I turned on my heel, muttering some excuse as I walked out the door. I had no interest in playing along with their charade any longer.
By the time I returned home after finalizing my plans to leave the country with the orphanage director, it was already past ten at night.
My parents had long since left and the entire villa was dark—except for the faint glow coming from Tomas’s study.
On impulse, I pulled up the security feed for the room. And there she was—Camila, sprawled across his desk, her clothes disheveled, very much awake.
She was supposed to be asleep upstairs.
Camila wrapped her arms around Tomas’s neck, her voice soft and teasing. "So, you married Samantha just to make sure Antonio stays loyal to me?"
She ran a finger down his chest, her tone dripping with seduction.
"You’ve loved me for so many years, yet you ended up marrying a woman who can’t even have children. Tomas, don’t you regret it?"
Tomas’s breath hitched as he turned his head away. "As long as you’re happy, nothing else matters."
Camila didn’t let him escape. She grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze, then kissed him deeply.
"You’ve been so good to me… I have to find a way to repay you. Tonight, I want to be yours."
Tomas stiffened, caught off guard, but before he could pull away, Camila only smiled, her eyes smoldering.
"Relax… I’m already seven months along. The doctor said as long as we take it easy, it won’t be a problem."
With those words, whatever restraint Tomas had left snapped. He pulled her into his arms and together, they gave in to the moment.
Outside, lightning flashed across the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance.
Just as Tomas reached his peak, a sudden thought struck him. "Samantha is afraid of thunderstorms—I need to check on her!"
He scrambled to dress and rushed out—only to see the soft glow of the bedroom lamp.
I was already fast asleep.
Relieved, he let out a quiet breath, pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and slipped into bed beside me.
For the next two weeks, he played the devoted husband by day. But at night, he lost himself in Camila’s arms behind the closed doors of his study.
Eventually, Antonio returned home—ready to take Camila back where she belonged.
When Antonio saw me, a flicker of surprise—maybe even admiration—flashed in his eyes.
He asked if I’d been doing well these past two years, then sighed, almost apologetic.
"It’s not that I didn’t care about you," he said. "But for the sake of the family’s reputation, I had no choice. I hope you don’t hate me."
BANG!
The bedroom door flew open as Camila stormed down the stairs, her heels clicking furiously against the floor.
"Antonio, I forgive you! Go upstairs and start packing my things—I’m going home with you."
The moment Antonio was out of sight, her sweet facade dropped.
She turned to me, her face twisted with malice. "Samantha, you pathetic leftover—you really think you can compete with me for Antonio?"
I turned to leave, refusing to engage, but that only enraged her further.
She lunged forward, grabbing my arm so tightly that her nails dug deep into my skin. "I actually thought you had some luck in you. Even as a discarded woman, someone was still willing to take you in."
She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "But it turns out, Tomas never even loved you! Isn’t that just pathetic?" Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she twisted the knife deeper.
"So what if you were engaged to Antonio first because you’re the ‘real’ daughter of the family? In the end, he still married me, didn’t he?"
She then leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper.
"Listen to me, Samantha—so long as I exist, no one in this world will ever love you. Not Dad. Not Mom. Not Tomas. Not Antonio."
